- fit for military service:
males: 19,406,790 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $481 million (FY95/96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY95/96)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: a portion of the boundary with India in
dispute; Bangladesh and India signed a treaty 12 December 1996 to
share water from the Ganges

Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in
neighboring countries
______________________________________________________________________

BARBADOS

@Barbados:Geography

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 97 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea : 12 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 37%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland : 12%
other: 46% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste
disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal
threatens contamination of aquifers

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity

Geography - note: easternmost Caribbean island

@Barbados:People

Population: 258,756 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 31,025; female 30,197)
15-64 years: 66% (male 83,977; female 87,208)
65 years and over : 10% (male 10,002; female 16,347) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.12% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 15.35 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 8.25 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/f